06/13/2026
🌟Young Ambassador Spotlight🌟
This year's City of Clearwater Young Ambassador Scholarship recipient is Sydney Tinling. As a student at Clearwater Fundamental Middle School, she and he family had the chance to host an exchange student from Nagano this past March. Now in Japan, Sydney gets to experience a reciprocal exchange experience as she stays with her exchange sister and the whole Takayama family.
Sydney:
"This trip was unforgettable, especially since I got to reunite with my host student, Shina, and meet her wonderful family. Staying with them gave me a firsthand look at Nagano’s culture and lifestyle. The school days were incredibly fun, the students were always so excited to see us that I felt like a celebrity! Finally, the sightseeing was amazing; I loved exploring the beautiful shrines and temples, but my absolute favorite part was seeing the chill, calm deer."
Heather, Sydney's mom:
"We had an incredible sister city exchange experience - hosting Shina and, in turn, her family hosting Sydney truly created a meaningful two way connection. As a family we explored Japanese culture, discovering both the beautiful differences and surprising similarities. We are sure this journey has sparked a lifelong friendship and are very grateful Sydney had the opportunity to learn and grow in such a meaningful ways."
